Pinyin: Geke
Aliases
Hai Ge Qiao
Source
Clam shell of the family VeneridaeMeretrix meretrixLinnaeus or QinghaCyclina sinensisGmelin's shell.
Distribution
It is produced in various coastal areas.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in summer and autumn, remove the meat, wash clean, and dry in the sun.
Chemical Constituents
Contains calcium carbonate, chitin, and various inorganic elements.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, salty, and slightly cold. Enters the Lung, Kidney, and Stomach channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and transforms Phlegm, softens hardness and dissipates nodules, checks acid and alleviates pain; external use absorbs Dampness and astringes sores. Used for Phlegm-Heat cough, chest and rib pain, blood-streaked sputum, scrofula and goiter, stomach pain with acid regurgitation; external treatment of eczema and scalds.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: decoct 6-15 g, decoct first, wrap in clam shell powder for decoction
Precautions and Contraindications
Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For phlegm-fire cough with red face and nose: Qingdai (indigo naturalis, water-processed), Geqiao (clam shell powder, calcined on new tiles) 9 g each. Form into honey pills the size of a fingertip. Before sleep, dissolve 3 pills in the mouth. (From *Weisheng Hongbao*, Qingge Wan). 2. For fire-stagnation lung distension with rapid, heavy breathing: Haigeqiao (clam shell powder), Qingdai, Gualouren (trichosanthes seed), Hezipi (chebulae peel), Xiangfu (cyperus), Banxia (pinellia) 30 g each. Form into pills with ginger juice. Take 30 pills with ginger decoction. (From *Zabing Yuanliu Xizhu*, Haiqing Wan). 3. For phlegm-fluid heart pain: Haige (clam shell, burned to ash, ground very fine, set aside for several days until fire toxicity dissipates), Gualouren (trichosanthes seed, ground together with pedicel and stigma). Mix the clam shell ash into the ground trichosanthes seed, adjusting wetness to form pills. Take 50 pills per dose. (From *Yixue Gangmu*). 4. For chancre sores and pustules: Geqiao (clam shell powder), Chacha (tea), Kushen (sophora root), Mituseng (litharge). Grind to powder. Wash with river water, mix with lard from preserved pork, and apply topically. (From *Waike Lili*). 5. For scrotal sweating: Geqiao (clam shell powder), Muli (oyster shell powder) equal parts. Grind to fine powder. Place in a silk bag and dust onto the affected area. (From *Gujin Yitong*, Zhenzhu San). 6. For women with cold damage, blood stasis in the chest and diaphragm, pain upon palpation that cannot be touched: Haige (clam shell), Huashi (talc), Gancao (licorice, dry-fried) 30 g each, Mangxiao (mirabilite) 15 g. Grind and sift into a powder. Take 6 g per dose, mixed with egg white. (From *Leizheng Huoren Shu*, Haige San). 7. For blood dysentery with internal heat: Haige (clam shell) powder 9 g, taken with honey water, twice daily. (From Liu Yuxi's *Chuanxin Fang*). 8. For phlegm accumulation diarrhea: Haigeqiao (clam shell powder) 30 g, Qingdai 9 g, Huangqin (scutellaria) 6 g, Shenqu (medicated leaven) 30 g, reserve half to cook into pills the size of wutong seeds. Take 20-30 pills with plain water. (From *Yixue Rumen*, Haiqing Wan).
